Sugarland, a hit country duo, was due to take the stage last night at the Indiana State Fair when tragedy struck, leaving five concert goes dead.

As Sugarland was set to take the stage last night for their headlining performance at the fair, the crowd and performers were warned of an approaching storm system with heavy winds.  The band’s manager opted to delay the start of the concert, deciding instead to keep them in the backstage area until the winds passed.  The crowd was warned of the weather and instructed of what to do in case an evacuation was ordered, but sadly no such order came as the winds picked up so suddenly.  As you can see in the embedded video below, things quickly went from bad to worse when the winds did arrive.

(please be aware of strong, albeit understandable, strong language in the video)

In addition to the five confirmed fatalities, one of which was added this morning to the list, an additional 40 some persons are being treated at local hospitals for injuries resulting from the tragedy.

While clearly not my normal “beat” on this blog, this tragedy grabbed my attention due some similarities to what happened in my own town back in June when we were struck by a sudden wind.

And here’s a video of the aftermath. I’m not quite sure why people are passing chairs into the mess.

I am left wondering what has happened with winds this summer.  The weather has been abnormal to say the least, and while tornadoes are frightening enough, at least with them you usually get at least some form of warning.  What happened in Kirksville back in June came seemingly out of nowhere, and what happened last night in Indiana seems to have been of a similar nature.

My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of those impacted by this tragic event.